Hungarian Prime Minister Magyar said at a Paks nuclear plant briefing on the
15th that controlled sinking of barges has begun; although Danube main-channel
levels remain lower, water at the plant’s pumping station has risen about 1 cm.
He warned that without the intervention the Danube could fall to extremely low
levels by the evening of the 16th, forcing one of the two operating turbines
offline and possibly triggering a full shutdown. Magyar said the barge sinking
and construction of a submerged weir are intended to prevent that outcome.
